Concealable furnishings



FAIN

" CONCEALABLE FURNISHINGS June 24, 1930.

Filed July 31, 1924 June 24, 1930 f w. c. FAlN 1,758,517

CONGEALABLE FURNISHINGS- I Filed July 31, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 SShets-Sheet 5 Filed July 51, i924 Patented June 24, 1930 WALTER O. FAIN, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

CONCEALABLE Application filed July 31,

' My invention relates to improvements in concealable house furnishings, and is designed as a modification of the general construction disclosed in an application filed by i me March 12,1924, Serial No. 698,792.

More specifically, the present invention embodies first, certain improvements over the construction disclosed in said application whereby the weight of the seats when extended for use will not be imposed upon the doors of the cabinet which supports them; secondly, in providingmeans for counterbalancing the weight of the table and its leg, whereby it more readily may be extended for use and returned into the cabinet; and, third 1y, to provide a construction which can be installed in a wall or partition of minimum thickness, such as now is common in many apartment houses.

These objects I accomplish in the manner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device shown with the doors of the cabinet open and the table and seats extended for use. I I Figure 2 is a similar View showing the parts folded and the door closed. 30 Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view show-- ing the table and seats extended for use.

*igure 4: is a View similar to Figure-3, showing the parts folded within the cabinet and the doors closed. i

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line V-V of Figure 3.

'Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional, view taken on the line VI-VI of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of Figure 3.

v Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7. I

Figure 9 is a detail vertical sectional view showing a slightly. modified construction. 5 Figure 10 is a side elevation of one of the doors and seats showing. a modified construction. 7 Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views.- 9 1 In the said drawings, the structure is runmsnmes 1924. Seria1'No.729,365. 1

shown housed within a compartment or cabinet, whichpreferably is set or built within the wall or partition of the room in which the furnishing is to be used, the wall being indicated by the reference numeral 1. In many apartment houses now being built the partitions between the rooms are comparatively thin, being not over five inches thick at the maximum, and it is with the particular idea of adapting the present device to such walls or partitions that this invention primarily is directed.

The wall 1 is provided with a recess,.indicated at 2, which is of suflicient height, width and thickness to accommodate the cabinet,"

said cabinet comprising side walls 3, a back 1, a top 5 and a bottom 6, saidcabinet being substantially rectangular in form and fitting snugly into the recess 2 in the wall 1. In order to economize space, the cabinet in the resent construction is shown as terminating short of the floor of the room, just below the plane of the seats when extended, though it will be understood that the same may, if desired, extend to the floor. I

Said cabinet is provided with a pair of folding doors 7, hinged at 8 to the side walls 3 of the cabinet, and pivotally but loosely connected to said doors are the folding seats 9, said connections being shown in' detail in Figure 5, and consisting each of a pair of plates 10screwed or otherwise fastened to the inner faces of the doors 7, said plates having angled projecting portions 11, which are slotted vertically at 12 to receive suitable pins 85, 13, fixed in the sides of the seats 9, said pins having vertical movement in said slots 12, but being retained against actualidisplacee ment. Each ofsaid seats is provided with a front leg 14 hinged thereto at 15, and with a leg 16 disposedl intermediate its length and hinged thereto at' 17. Extending from a bracket 18 on each of the doors 7 is a rod 19 pivoted to said bracket, and also pivoted to the legs 14 and 16, as best seen in Figure 3, said rod providing means for automatically folding the legs 14; and 16 when the seats- 9 are raised to the vertical position shown in Figure 4. The table 20 is provided with oppositely disposed pins 21, which are adapted to move in slots 22 formed in the side walls 3 of the cabinet, so as to be permitted a vertical movement therein, and hinged to the undersideof said table intermediate its length is a rod 23' also hinged at Q L to the bottom 6 of the cabinet, said rod affording a support for the inner end of said table when extended to the position shown in Figure 3. Attached to the inner end of the table 20 on each side is a steel tape 25 which passes over a spring pulley 26 of conventional construction, said pulleys being located in the side walls 3 of the cabinet. The table 20 is also provided with a leg 27 at its outer end,

Which is adapted to fold against the underside of said table, and is retained in open position by a conventional jointed brace 28.

From the above description, the operation.

' to use the furnishings the doors 7 are opened to the position shownin Figures 1, 3, and 6,

the upper end of the table'20 drawn outwardly, which will cause-the pins 21 in its inner end to slide upwardly in the slots 22 to the top thereof, and will bring the rod 23 to the diagonal position shown in Figure 3. for sup porting the inner end of the table. With the leg 27 extended to the position shown in Figure 3, said furnishing is in position for use, it being understood that the spring pulleys 26 will render the movement of the table from closed to open position and vice versa extremely easy, as said pulleys will counterbalance the weight of the table, in a manner readily understood. Upon lowering the seats 9 to the open position shown in Figure 3, the rods 19 automatically will open the legs 14 and 16, and the inner ends of said seats will rise in the slots 12 of the plates 11, thereby taking the weight off of the doors 7. This feature is important, as when these devices are used in connection with thin partition walls, the doors 7 must be correspondingly light, and would not be sufiiciently strong to carry the weight of two people utilizing each of the seats 9. To restore the parts to their initial position, the joint of the brace 28 is broken and the leg 27 of the table 20 folded thereunder, whereupon said table maybe returned toits vertical position within the cabinet, the pins 21 moving downwardly within the slots 22, as readily will be understood. Now upon raising the upper ends of the seats 9, the legs 14 and 16 automatically will fold against the undersides of said seats and the latter will assume the position shown in Figure 4 against the inner walls of the doors 7, which then may be turned to the closed position shown in Figure 2. a

In order to retain the table 20 in its folded Letters Patent, is

Maser? position I provide suitable spring catches 29 which are adapted automatically to engage in the slots 22 as said table reaches its folded position. bolts may be provided for the seats 9.

It will be understood that while this device is particularly adapted for installation in the wall or partition of a room, still it may be disposed in a cabinet separate from the wall, and sold and used as a separate article of furniture, the same presenting the appearance when closed of an ordinary comparatively thin cabinet.

a In Figure 9 I have shown a slightly different way of hinging the doors 7, the same being attached to the casing of the cabinet instead of to the side walls 3, as shown in the other figures.-

In Figure 10 I have shown a modified construction of support for the seats, which does not embody the automatic opening and closingof the same. In said figure, each seat 9 has hinged thereto legs 14', the inner leg beingdisposed close to the pivotal point of the seat, and equi-distant between said legs there is provided on the underside of said seat a block 30 to which is pivoted a turn button 31, adapted to engage the'ends of the legs 14 when the latter are folded up against the underside of the seats, this position of the parts being shown in dotted lines in said figure. The manner of hinging the seats 9' to the doors 7 is the same as in the main construction, and like the latter the legs 14;

when extended carry all of the weight of said seats.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by In concealable furnishings, a cabinet having a rear wall and an open front, hinged doors for closing the front of said cabinet, brackets on said doors having vertically slotted portions projecting from the inner faces of the doors, and seat units having laterally outstanding pins engaging the slots in said brackets, said pins and brackets operating to support said seat units on said doors when folded but leaving said seat units susceptible of vertical movement with respect to said doors when in position for use.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

WALTER o. FAIN.

So, also, suitable catches or locking I 

